


Meant to Live

by nezumechan



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, F/M, Goddess Tower, Jealousy, Oneshot, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Time Skip, Romance, Slow Burn, Tragedy, battle of eagle and lion, dimileth, huleth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26030203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nezumechan/pseuds/nezumechan
Summary: Hubert was blessed and cursed with the number etched onto his hand at birth. It signified the number of steps away your soulmate was from you and meant that somewhere in the world, someone out there was waiting to meet him.He waited anxiously for the day that he would meet his other half. He was just not expecting that encounter to be on the opposite side of the battlefield.[Blue Lions Route] An angsty Hubert X Byleth Soulmate AU (with hints of Dimitri X Byleth) oneshot
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, My Unit | Byleth/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 21
Kudos: 63





	Meant to Live

**Author's Note:**

> Took a quick break from 'Starling' to write this angsty one-shot. Inspired by the song “Meant to Live” by Switchfoot. Enjoy ;)

_“We were meant to live for so much more, have we lost ourselves?”_

~*~*~*~*~ 

From birth, every human was born with a thick black number imprinted on the back of their hand. They were told that the marking signified the number of steps that their soulmate was away from them. For people whose soulmates are not yet born or are deceased, the number is absent from their skin. For everyone else, they are forever tormented as they watch the number rise and fall with each step that their soulmate takes. 

Hubert was blessed and cursed with the number etched onto his hand at birth. It meant that somewhere, someone out there was waiting to meet him, and he would be forever eager to meet that person as well. 

As a child, he had been instantly smitten with a young brown-haired girl with lavender eyes. She wore a puffy red dress with black tights and her hand had a white bandage wrapped around it. The moment he laid eyes on her; he knew that his life would never be the same again. 

Her eyes twinkled as she approached him, “Hi, I’m Edelgard von Hrelsveg, what’s your name?”

He swallowed and placed his hands behind his back afraid to look at the numbers, “My name is Hubert von Vestra.”

As a formal greeting, she held out her right hand that was bandaged. Hubert hesitantly lifted his hand from behind his back and she immediately grabbed it. She yanked him towards her and frowned upon seeing the black numbers. 

“Oh.” Was all she had said. 

Hubert peeked at his hand that was held in hers. 41,809. He sighed heavily and frowned at his discovery.

Edelgard laughed, “It’s okay.” She pulled the edge of the white bandage wrapped around her hand and found the number 598 scrawled in black lines. 

“Father doesn’t like us checking our numbers.” She stated. “He wants to marry me off for political reasons.” 

“Even if they’re not the one you’re meant to be with?” Hubert asked.

Edelgard nodded. “Sometimes, you and your soulmate can never be together, or they end up falling in love with someone else. I hope at the very least to meet mine someday. I want him to be a handsome noble so we can live happily ever after.” 

She swung her hands out and began to spin in a circle, smiling at the thought. 

Hubert looked down at the back of his hand and frowned. How could fate be so cruel to not let your soulmate be your forever partner? He hoped he would never have to find out.

It was years since that incident occurred. Everyday his numbers shifted. Sometimes his soulmate was only a few hundred steps away, but more often than not, that person was several thousands of steps from him and the number crawled around his small hand to his palm. It was maddening to watch. On the day that his soulmate was 1,536,765 steps away from him, he could take no more. He slipped on a pair of opaque white gloves and never looked back. 

That was 10 years ago.

Hubert would never forget the day when he finally found out who his soulmate was.

It was a cool summer day at the Garreg Mach Monastery. The students were in battle formation stationed at Gronder Field, waiting for the anticipated Battle of the Eagle and the Lion to begin. The sky was clear and at the top of the hill stood the church officials looking down on the students. Hubert’s palms were itching for battle. Prior, he had been practicing dark magic spells over and over, casting miasma on dummies in the training room and turning them to ash with the snap of a finger. He was fully prepared to lead Lady Edelgard’s Black Eagles to victory.

Hubert stood on the battlefield dressed in a black school uniform lined with gold buckles. Despite only being a mock battle, he would guard His Majesty with his very life. The battle began. Hubert looked around for enemies. Claude and the Golden Deer were to the east of him. He was fully expecting a surprise attack from the master tactician and had a special counterattack in mind if he was foolish enough to strike. The real threat was Dimitri and the Blue Lions. This was a rivalry match after all and the future king of Faerghus would be at his best. The Blue Lions had a small advantage over the other houses. All the professors had chosen to abstain from battle, except for the Blue Lions instructor, Professor Byleth Eisner. 

She was an emotionless enigma to him. She showed no signs of fear or worry, never smiled, or laughed. Before she was a professor at the school, she was known as the Ashen Demon who traveled all over Foldan with a band of mercenaries. Hubert had only seen her in battle once. The Blue Lions took on an assignment to handle bandits near Gronder Field and Hubert had followed them from a distance to understand his rivals better. The students were outnumbered 30 to 8. He laughed at them wickedly thinking that the Blue Lions would be no more. At the front line of the Blue Lions was the professor wielding a silver sword in her hand. The way she mercilessly carved through her enemies one by one was a wonder to observe. With that kind of swordsmanship, he deemed her a potential threat to Lady Edelgard’s rule. For his Majesty’s sake, he would need to keep the professor at the top of his watch list just in case they ever met on the opposite side of the battlefield. He was not expecting that day to happen so soon.

Hubert grit his teeth and shifted to a battle stance. He hoped that the former mercenary would let her students do the fighting on their own and prove their worth. It was the only fair thing to do in such a fight. 

He was horribly mistaken.

From his position on the field, he watched as Professor Byleth and Dimitri quickly eliminated Caspar from his spot near the wooden pier. He was on the ground with his arms raised high “I yield!” Hubert looked around the battlefield. Claude was being helped by Hilda off Gronder Field in defeat. The entire Golden Deer team was knocked out. Of the Blue Lions, Ashe and Felix were still on the sidelines ready to provide backup. Of the Black Eagles, only he and Edelgard remained. 

Hubert would not let them attack his empress, ally, and the one he cared about the most in this world. His hands lit up bright purple ready to defend her against whatever attack may come. Neither Dimitri nor Byleth would be able to strike back effectively unless they were in range. He, however, had the advantage of being able to fire dark magic from a distance. Hubert smirked feeling confident in himself.  
Byleth walked towards him slowly dragging her silver sword along the ground. She did not have a single scratch on her body and barely even broke a sweat. Hubert felt his heart begin to pound into his chest from the anticipation of battle. He waited until she was in range and fired a ball of Miasma towards her. Without blinking, Byleth leapt out of the way and sprinted towards him. He quickly chanted spells and fired a second shot at her. She rolled out of the way and in a second, she was standing right in front of him. Hubert brought his arms towards his face to protect himself and she swung her weapon upward slicing his arm and hand with the tip of her sword. The hilt of her blade knocked him sharply on top of his head. Hubert fell backwards to the ground and looked up at his attacker who had her silver sword pointed directly at his throat. 

“Do you yield?” She calmly asked him. 

Hubert turned to see Lady Edelgard swinging her steel axe and Dimitri parrying her attack with a silver lance. If His Majesty could defeat her rival in combat, they had a slight chance of victory. As protocol for surrender in the mock battle, Hubert raised his hands palms out to her. Byleth thanked him. She lowered her weapon and began walking towards the next battle. 

That’s when out of the corner of his eye, Hubert noticed the faint black line exposed between the tear that she had left in his glove. His eyes widened and he froze as if all time had stopped him in his tracks. On his hand was exactly one solid black line.

1

Hubert peeled off his torn glove in utter disbelief. The numbers on his hand began to rise.

2, 3, 4

He quickly covered his hand with the other and felt his face begin to redden. His heart was pounding so hard that he thought it might explode out of his chest. He had found his soulmate- on the opposite ends of the battlefield. How cruel must fate be to torment him this way. Hubert’s hand trembled. How many times had he passed her in the halls of Garreg Mach? How many times had his hand screamed 1 step away at him all while the numbers were hidden beneath the security of his white glove? How had he never bothered to look at her small hand once and check her markings as he did with everyone else? Did she know all this time that he was the one she would be forever tied to, and if so, why didn’t she say anything?

Hubert punched the ground in anger. The number on his hand continued to increase. The Church trumpets blared in the distance signaling the end of the event. The Blue Lions had won the battle of the Eagle and the Lion and his soulmate was celebrating with her students in the distance.

Edelgard walked towards him unharmed. “Is everything okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Hubert turned his face away. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and quickly wrapped it around his hand. “Yes. Aside from a scratch, I am unscathed from battle.” 

Edelgard held out her hand to help lift him off the floor. Hubert grabbed hold and she pulled him up, but not before yanking the cloth away.

“You’re an excellent liar Hubert, but you can’t fool me.” Edelgard smirked. 

She flipped over Hubert’s hand and her eyes widened. She covered her mouth in a gasp, “Your number is so low! Don’t tell me you found your soulmate here at the Monastery of all places? Who is it? I must know at once.” 

Hubert jerked his hand back from her and re-wrapped it. “It is of no concern Your Majesty. In fact, it’s best that neither of us know.”

After the battle, the Blue Lions invited the other houses to celebrate with them. The students were too sore from the events of the day, so the Black Eagles and the Golden Deer politely declined.

Hubert was laying on his bed in his assigned dormitory room with a leg crossed over the other at his ankles. He continually flipped his hand over, eyeing the black markings curiously. She was 117 steps away from him probably celebrating in the reception hall with her students while he lay alone, frustrated from his earlier loss. He pulled out a thin blade from beneath his sleeve. He hypothetically wondered what would happen if he carved the skin with the black ink from his hand. Would the numbers just appear on his other hand or would they reappear once his skin healed? 

Part of him thought that he should be grateful to have finally met his soulmate as there are many people in the world that never get that opportunity. The other part of him felt utterly hopeless. She’s a professor for the Officer’s academy and of their rival house no less. There would be no way for them to ever be together under those circumstances. He knew nothing about her, and she rarely exposed details of her unknown past to anyone. He therefore could not build trust with someone so mysterious. Hubert closed his eyes. He supposed he would give her the benefit of the doubt and confront her tomorrow.

\--

It was a sunny weekend at the monastery. Hubert peeked beneath his white glove. The numbers bounced somewhere in the forties. He took long strides trying to find what location she was heading to in the monastery and followed the markings on his hand like a compass. Hubert zigzagged through the halls, passing beneath the arches of the officer’s academy courtyard, then through the dining area and into the reception hall. The numbers on his hand kept changing the more he walked, and he found himself madly wandering the reception hall in circles like a lost dog. He felt the stares of his classmates, but he ignored them, intently focused on his soulmate’s footsteps. Where in Fodlan’s name was she going? It took a few moments before he realized that she was directly above him on the second floor of the monastery. Hubert hurriedly walked towards the staircase. His heart was beating rapidly as his eyes remained on the decreasing number beneath his glove. He was so focused looking at his hand that he did not realize how quickly the numbers were dropping until it was too late.

Hubert collided headfirst into another person. They both tumbled backwards onto the cold monastery floor. Papers were launched into the air and scattered all around them. Hubert rubbed the soreness of his head with a gloved hand and was ready to berate the person who crashed into him when he saw exactly who it was. 

Professor Byleth was sitting down across from him. She rubbed her forehead with her hand and Hubert tried to peek the number on the back of it, but the black markings were shielded from view by her fingerless steel gauntlet. She quickly shook her head noticing all the papers scattered on the ground. When they finally made eye contact, her expression changed to surprise and he could have sworn he saw the faintest tint of pink light up her cheeks. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you when I was coming down the stairs.” she apologized. She quickly began to pull the papers towards her. 

Hubert found himself speechless and he could feel his pale face began to redden. Everything that he wanted to ask her had vanished from his memory and he could only stare blankly at her as she scrambled to pick up papers. His mouth twitched thinking of what to say, but he no longer knew where to begin. Instead, he helped her clean up the mess that he had caused and helped gather the papers. They both reached for the same sheet on the floor and their fingers lightly brushed against each other. Hubert’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest and he pulled his gloved hand away as though he had just touched an open flame. 

Byleth stood up and held the complete stack of papers in her arms. She bowed her head and thanked him with a small genuine smile across her pink lips that melted his frozen heart and made it beat more rapidly. He stared deeply into her indigo eyes and held her gaze for what felt like an eternity. Hubert opened his mouth to speak when he heard another male voice behind him.

“Professor, there you are! I was wondering if you would like to join me for lunch?” Dimitri asked. 

“I would love to.” She answered diverting her eyes towards the blonde prince. 

She walked towards Dimitri and left Hubert standing dumbfounded next to the staircase. He wanted to bang his head against the wall. He had noticed the way her expression lit up when she saw Dimitri. He felt something awful in the pit of his stomach which he could only imagine was the bitter feeling of jealously. How could he finally meet her and not have a single word to say? Hubert groaned to himself. This was not going to be an easy task.

\--

The following day, the Black Eagles received word that Flayn had disappeared from the school grounds. The entire student body was on a hunt to find her and gathered clues to her whereabouts. Professor Manuela worked the Black Eagles tirelessly in the hunt until class was suddenly canceled when she disappeared herself. The Blue Lions discovered the instructor wounded in Professor Jeritza’s room. She claimed that she had been stabbed by the Death Knight himself. The Blue Lions were able to recover Flayn and everything quickly returned back to normal.

The next month was the Garreg Mach Ball. Hubert was not much for festivities. He silently followed his soulmate in her miscellaneous adventures through the monastery, hoping to get a second chance to be alone with her. However, she was always on the move. During the day, she was constantly surrounded by students that swarmed her like flies to a carcass. She shared meals with them on the weekends, practiced dancing with them in preparation for the ball, and even presented them with small gifts. 

His entire Black Eagle house was smitten with Professor Byleth and they had even politely asked Professor Manuela if they could switch houses to be part of the Blue Lions. Professor Manuela let each one leave until only he and Edelgard were left. He avoided his former classmates like the plague as they happily pranced around their new professor and sported matching Blue Uniforms. Traitors. 

Out of all the students in the officer’s academy, his soulmate chose to spend most of her time with Dimitri. It made his stomach churn with disgust and bitter jealousy every time he passed by them in the halls. Her smile appeared so genuine around the blonde prince and he was always by her side. Her laughter when she was with Dimitri made his heart ache. The two often partook in drinking tea once a weekend at noon. Their conversations flowed so naturally. Hubert did not even have that kind of friendship with Lady Edelgard. He felt an extreme amount of envy being near them and would always have to retreat elsewhere.

\--

The Black Eagles had a short class with Professor Manuela. He did not particularly mind the empty classroom and preferred to be surrounded with those he trusted anyway. He was writing notes onto a piece of parchment paper with a black feathered quill. Professor Manuela was running out of things to teach them. Lady Edelgard was perfect in every way and he had chosen to practice only the dark arts which was not one of Professor Manuela’s specialties. 

He lifted the edge of his white glove and peeked at the black etchings on the back of his hand. 24…25… It was a slow change. She was likely standing in front of the Blue Lion classroom instructing the her many eager students. 

“You both may leave class early today. It’s the night of the ball so be sure to enjoy yourselves.” Professor Manuela smiled. 

Hubert packed up his belongings and joined Edelgard outside the classroom.

“So, are you excited for the ball? Is your soulmate going to be there?” she teased.

Hubert’s face began to redden. “It matters not. I had no intention of attending unless you wish me to.” He answered placing a hand to his mouth. 

“Of course I want you to go.” Edelgard said. “If you see that person, you should ask them to dance.”

\--

Reluctantly, Hubert attended the ball dressed in his black officer’s academy uniform. He stood in the far corner of the room with his arms crossed and watched Lady Edelgard’s every move as she waltzed gracefully around the ballroom with various potential suitors. His former classmates seemed to be enjoying themselves. Of course, his eyes could not help but wander to the woman who seamlessly blended in with the students despite wearing her mercenary uniform. She was on the dance floor waltzing through nearly every song, and each time, she danced with a different student. Hubert’s attention was torn between keeping track of Lady Edelgard, and the mysterious professor. 

He was focused on Lady Edelgard for a moment too long when he realized that the Blue Lion Professor was missing from the ball. He acted on impulse and ran out the doors of the reception hall. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her standing next to Dimitri outside near the Officer Academy classrooms. He quickly rolled behind one of the pillars and listened in to their conversation.

They were talking about Lady Edelgard for some reason. Dimitri was standing too close to her and Hubert had a difficult time making out their conversation. He needed to get closer to them when he heard Dimitri say, “Professor, will you join me for a bit?”

The Professor agreed to go with him. Hubert’s heart squeezed with jealousy and he clenched his fists. He knew exactly where Dimitri would be taking his soulmate on the night of the ball. That clever man thought he had the upper edge. Hubert harnessed his dark magic and warped to the Goddess Tower.

He caught his balance and stood behind one of the stone arches at the top of the tower and hid within the shadows. He pulled the glove off his right hand and stared at the decreasing numbers. She was gradually making her way up the staircase. Hubert calmed his breathing to slow the beating of his heart. He closed his eyes and waited until he could hear their footsteps at the top of the tower. 

“It’s quiet here, isn’t it, Professor?” Dimitri asked assuming that they were the only two there. 

Hubert’s eyes shot open and saw the large number 5 on his hand. Dimitri smoothly asked the professor if she knew the legend of the Goddess Tower in which she did not know so he quickly filled in the details. 

“What do you say Professor? Care to make a wish?” Dimitri asked. 

Hubert peeked around the corner. Professor Byleth’s small hands were in Dimitri’s black gloved hands. He noticed the subtle blush on her cheeks that sent an empty feeling down to the pit of his stomach. 

“After you.” She said to Dimitri.

Dimitri thought for a moment and rubbed his thumb over Byleth’s knuckles. “I would wish… for a world where no one would ever be unjustly taken from us. Although, we are at the Goddess Tower. Perhaps it would make more sense for me to wish that we’ll be together forever, what do you think?”

It took every nerve in Hubert’s body not to emerge out of the shadows and stop their tryst. Hubert closed his eyes and made a wish of his own. He wished that he could scrub the painful black numbers away from his hand. He wished to escape from the unbearable pain of watching your soulmate, the one who he was destined to be with, fall in love with someone else. 

Byleth paused in her response to the young prince contemplating what her next words were. 

Dimitri swallowed his pride, “Professor… may I please see the back of your hand. I know your armor normally covers it.”

Hubert watched her slowly pull her hands away from the prince’s. “Dimitri… I- “

“No, never mind it’s okay I’m sorry for asking.” Dimitri laughed. 

Byleth shook her head. “I want you to have closure. You really do mean the world to me.” 

Byleth unclipped the hinges of her steel wrist armor. Hubert’s eyes widened. He suddenly was not prepared to have this uncomfortable conversation at the Goddess Tower. He experienced first-hand what she and Dimitri were capable of in battle and knew that there would be drastic consequences if they caught him eavesdropping. Hubert cursed under his breath. He was not a coward, but he knew when to retreat. Just as Byleth dropped her wrist armor to the floor, he warped to the base of the tower and madly sprinted back to the ball. 

\--

Hubert was managing errands around the monastery for Lady Edelgard when he felt a sudden pang in his chest. He dropped all His Majesty’s papers to the floor and fell to his knees, clutching a hand to his chest. He felt like someone had knocked the wind out of him. On impulse, Hubert checked the number on the back of his hand. 25,806. He was not aware of soulmates being able to detect when the other was hurting. However, his soulmate never showed any emotions to begin with. It was a possibility that for the first time in her life, she was experiencing pain.

The next day he found out why. She looked like death. Her eyes were puffy red from crying and not even her students could console her. Captain Jeralt had been murdered in cold blood on the Blue Lions last mission. Hubert had no words for his soulmate. He had never been one for condolences. He could only watch her slow movement through the monastery as she locked herself away to be alone in the Captain’s Quarters. 

“Hubert your behavior is unusually miserable today.” Edelgard pointed out. 

Hubert squeezed his right hand tightly. “I apologize Your Majesty; I am not feeling well.” 

Edelgard placed a shy hand over her elbow. “Yes, I suppose Captain Jeralt’s untimely death has gotten to us all.”

“You have no idea.” Hubert muttered clutching his hand to his chest. Hubert was used to shutting out his emotions, but it was difficult to do so when it was another person’s.

He gathered the nerves to confront her and give her his condolences. He had plucked a white lily from the gardens and made his way up the staircase towards the Captain’s quarters. His heart pounded with every step he took. The pain in his chest felt stronger the closer he got to her. He approached the opened wooden door to the captain’s quarters and froze. 

He heard Dimitri’s soothing voice consoling his soulmate. He felt the intense pain in his chest begin to wash away with Dimitri’s words and he suddenly felt empty inside. Hubert let go of the lily and it glided to the floor. Of course, the prince would be there. 

Hubert sighed heavily. He was wasting his time and efforts chasing an empty dream that could never be. They may have been fated to be soulmates, but there was no way that he could capture her heart the way that Dimitri had. He wondered why he even bothered when they stood absolutely zero chance of being together with her, the mercenary who had crept into his heart like an assassin in the night. 

Hubert turned around and walked away with his pride still intact. 

\--

Time passed quickly as Hubert stopped following his soulmate’s footsteps and instead turned his focus towards Lady Edelgard who had ascended the throne and was now the Empress of Adrestia. Hubert was excused from class and spent the entire month performing shady tasks from bribes to murders in order to prepare for his Majesty’s next step. He would do anything for Lady Edelgard and knew that times were about to change for everyone soon enough. 

They had received word that Professor Byleth had somehow obtained the power of the Goddess. The Blue Lion House was invited to a special ceremony in the holy tomb to commemorate this event. Lady Edelgard, however, had other plans. They were to capture the crest stones of the fallen heroes of Foldan and bring them back with them to Adrestia. Edelgard dawned her Flame Emperor uniform and led the attack with imperial soldiers and other dark mages. Hubert was on standby, ready to warp her out in the event that her mission went south. Playtime was over and it was time to wage war against the church. 

Their mission to capture all the crest stones was a complete failure. His soulmate had somehow managed to recruit every single student from the Black Eagle and the Golden Deer house over to the Blue Lions and they were drastically outnumbered at the battle of the Holy Tomb.

Following the attack, the imperial troops marched on the monastery. A battle broke out from outside the walls of the Garreg Mach Monastery. Hubert launched a series of calculated strikes against the church soldiers. With more Imperial soldiers at their aid above ground, the Empire stood a better chance at winning.

Hubert made sure that he never peeked at the step counter on his hand. He did not want to know where she was. He could care less weather she lived or died. The ideals that she pursued differed than Lady Edelgard’s having sided with Dimitri and the church. She was now a threat to the Imperial rule. They were at the beginnings of a war for the nation. He could not let his feelings get in the way especially when he knew that she would follow Dimitri to the ends of the world. He needed to give up on her before he drove himself further into madness. 

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Dimitri and Byleth standing back to back, tearing their way through Imperial Soldiers with the rest of the Blue Lion House. Hubert took a step backwards. Dimitri wore a twisted expression unlike anything he had ever seen. It was as though the prince had crossed the line into insanity as he screamed “EDELGARD!!!!”. His Majesty’s name echoed through the battlefield and Hubert wondered what exactly happened in the holy tomb. 

The enemy was charging towards Lady Edelgard. Hubert needed to get her off the field as soon as possible and let her generals handle the situation. Hubert ran as fast as he could towards Edelgard. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gasped for air, “Your Majesty, we need to retreat and let your army take care of the rest.” 

Edelgard nodded her head. Hubert turned around and made sudden eye contact with the mint haired professor who was wielding a blazing red sword. Her emerald eyes met his. For a moment, he thought he detected sadness in her expression. Then, Dimitri came charging towards them and Hubert did not have time to reconsider his options. He warped off the battlefield with Lady Edelgard. 

It took every ounce of magic that Hubert had left. He warped the two back to the campground outside of the battlefield. They were panting from exhaustion of the battle. Hubert ripped off his white gloves. 10,500 was marked in black on his pale hand. They were safely away from the deadly duo that was mercilessly tearing through the Imperial army.

Hubert’s heart skipped a full beat and he suddenly dropped to his knees. Edelgard ran to his side and placed a hand on his back.

“Hubert!” Are you okay?” She asked him in a panicked tone.

Hubert felt as though his heart was going to explode. He spat blood onto the dirt of the campground and his entire body was shaking. His fingers dug into the ground. Perhaps he overused his dark magic from warping them to safety. He felt a burning sensation in his right hand. He was trying to catch his breath when he watched the black etchings on his hand sizzle away. He felt a lone tear roll down his cheek and his entire world began to crumble. 

The wish that he made at the Goddess Tower had come true. He felt sick to his stomach and his vision went black.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
5 Years Later  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hubert was commanding Imperial troops at the campground outside the walls of the Garreg Mach Monastery. It was the perfect time to strike the monastery grounds and reclaim the land for the Adrestian Empire. After years of hunting down the Church of Seiros, the monastery had long been abandoned, yet word was received that the Kingdom Army was gradually forming there. Hubert sent General Randolf to lead the Imperial Army to battle and strike down the enemy while they were weak. 

Hubert sat at a makeshift desk within the campgrounds. He picked up his mug of coffee with a white gloved hand and lifted the warm liquid to his lips. It tasted bitter, just like his soul. He had continued to wear gloves daily after years of habit. Ever since the day that he had lost his soulmate, the markings on his hand had disappeared as if they had never existed in the first place. He had no need to ever check the markings again. He had been devastated when they vanished years ago and had endured a week of sleepless nights and skipped meals. It was Lady Edelgard who finally snapped him out of it. He knew that having a soulmate was too good to be true, and now that person was gone forever. 

He eyed himself in the reflection of his coffee. His cheekbones had become more defined and his raven hair was a lot shorter. If he did not know himself better, he could have been a fine suitor and whisked away his soulmate off the battlefield, living a happier life. However, those were childish dreams. She was permanently out of his life and there was nothing he could have done to change that fact. Not only that, but they were in the midst of war. Love was simply out of the question. Hubert took another long sip of his drink. 

“Lord Vestra!” An Imperial soldier reported. “We’ve just gotten word that General Randolf has been killed in battle by a blonde-haired man with a black eyepatch and his light green haired accomplice, a woman of about Her Majesty’s age.”

Hubert spit out his coffee all over the table, staining the many reports that he had toiled away on. He pulled out a white handkerchief from his coat pocket and wiped his mouth.

“What kind of weapons did they have?” he asked. He felt his hand begin to tremble and he held it beneath the table.

“Sir! They were both holding heroes’ relics. The man had a spear and the woman had a sword.” The soldier reported.

Hubert’s heart began to speed up. It was impossible. “I will tell Her Majesty at once. You are dismissed.”

The second the soldier was away from his tent, he yanked off the glove on his right hand. Etched in solid black markings were the numbers 18,205. He was internally screaming. He felt both excited and horrified at the numbers. He had finally come to terms with losing his soulmate after years of her disappearance, but there she was, eighteen thousand steps away on the battlefield, carving through the Imperial soldiers with the ghost of Prince Dimitri. Perhaps he had heard the report incorrectly, and his troops were imagining things.

Hubert rubbed his eyes and looked to the back of his hand once more. 18,206, 18,207. The familiar ticking of movement. When did she come back to life and how had he never noticed? He needed to tell Empress Edelgard at once.

Hubert found Edelgard commanding her troops near the outskirts of the campground. He bowed low. “Your Majesty, I have news to report.”

Edelgard turned to him wearing a red gown with a golden crown atop her silver hair. She wore long red gloves that snaked up her arms. It turned out that she also lost her soulmate in the five-year war; they never got to meet. She only knew of him later that he was an unnamed soldier who had fallen on the battlefield. Lady Edelgard would not like what he was about to tell her.

“Yes Hubert?” she asked.

“General Randolf has been slain during the attack on Garreg Mach…” he paused. “By Dimitri and Byleth.”

Edelgard was shocked. “What do you mean? I heard that Dimitri was executed by the kingdom’s forces. We all know that the Professor perished five years ago. Are you sure your information is accurate Hubert?”

Hubert sucked in his breath. It was now or never. “I am positive, Your Majesty.” He showed her the back of his hand with the long series of numbers etched onto it. 

“I’m afraid I’ve been keeping a secret from you. Although I thought it necessary to mention this now since she’s become a threat to your rule.” Hubert said. “The identity of the one who’s steps are recorded onto my hand… is Professor Byleth.”

Edelgard covered her mouth in a gasp. “Hubert do you know what this means? This could be problematic for us.”

“I am well aware, but perhaps we can use this to our advantage.” Hubert began. “You see, I had watched over the Professor for some time. I know that she is smitten with Dimitri. She has never confronted me about being her soulmate, so either she is unaware, or she cares not about fate’s significance.”

Hubert flipped his hand over. “It’s a double-edged sword, Your Majesty. We will always be able to know where the enemy is located, and they will know where we are at once they uncover the truth about the step counter.”

\--

The Empire had greatly underestimated Dimitri and the Kingdom Army. The Kingdom had gathered reinforcements in the span of two months and even took hold of the Great Bridge of Myrddin. They had received word that the Kingdom would use this to their advantage and head straight for the Imperial Palace. 

Hubert adjusted his white glove. Based on the pattern of his soulmate’s steps, he was able to deduce that the Kingdom Army would try to cross Gronder Field. The Imperial Army would intercept their forces near Garreg Mach to prevent this and he would act as Lady Edelgard’s second in command. Hubert was standing on familiar soil. 

He took a quick peek beneath his glove as the number on his hand showed that she was less than 1,000 steps away. He saw the familiar flag of the Blue Lions and another yellow flag, the Golden Deer. History repeated itself as the three armies met on the battlefield. It had been exactly five years since they had all come together in the battle of the Eagle and the Lion, and Hubert had first discovered the identify of his soulmate. The entire situation was laughable as fate toyed with him. 

The Blue Lions approached from the North side of Gronder Field. Lady Edelgard had intended to create a warfare so chaotic, that neither Claude nor Dimitri would not be able to tell who friend or foe was. The goal was to keep the Kingdom and Alliance from joining forces and to stop both from progressing into Adrestia. Hubert stood behind a wooden blockade and let the breeze of battle whisk by. He commanded the first wave of the imperial cavalry to attack the Kingdom’s Army and the battle began. There were screams as Kingdom and Imperial soldiers clashed. Atop the wooden pier at the center of Gronder Field was an imperial archer with a bow at the ready. 

Hubert could see the outline of a fiery spear in the distance and watched as Dimitri cut through multiple soldiers at once with his wide range. The archer on the pier closed an eye and fired an arrow at Dimitri during the distraction. That’s when Hubert saw the flash of a familiar chain linked sword. The sword deflected the arrow with a precise swing before it was even close to reaching the indented target. 

Hubert’s heart dropped. She was alive after all. The way that she swung her sword in the air, tearing apart his soldiers was breathtaking. Her mint hair became dotted with the blood of the imperials that came into her range. The Sword of the Creator was blazing from the power of the Goddess dwelling within her. Time had not aged her face and she looked like the same person that he had lost all those years ago. Hubert found himself in awe and was unable to move away from his spot. 

He heard the scream of the archer on the wooden pier. Hubert snapped out of his daze to see the archer swept up beneath the talons of a massive wyvern. The wyvern carried the archer high into the air of the battlefield and released its grip, dropping his soldier like a puppet whose strings had been cut as they plummeted onto the wooden pier. 

The Blue Lions used the attack to their advantage and made their way up the wooden pier, eliminating all those who stood in their way. By some strange miracle, the foolish Alliance army began attacking the Kingdom army in the confusion of battle. It was just as his Majesty had predicted; it was a free-for-all. The two armies fought on top of the wooden pier battling for control. Hubert watched as his former classmates dropped like flies as they struggled to determine who was the true enemy. Now was the time for action.

“Those who went up the hill will pay for their lives in the crimson flames!” Edelgard shouted from atop a stone platform. 

At her command, Hubert ordered his squadron of Imperial Archers to light their bows on fire. They launched a series of flaming arrows onto the wooden pier which lit up like a bonfire. Kingdom and Alliance soldiers burned alive in the center of Gronder Field. Hubert could not help but laugh sadistically as the enemies perished. Everything was going according to plan. The Imperial’s had an advantage and would be able to end the war at Gronder Field. He was confident they would win. 

“It’s quite a shame that the hill is up in smoke. I suppose I’ll have to quench the flames with the enemy’s blood.” He shouted.

Hubert’s hands lit up a deep shade of purple with dark magic. His enemy would be wounded from battle and any stragglers would be easy to eliminate. Hubert launched shots of Miasma into the flames to finish off his enemies. He panted from the excitement of battle. He quickly jabbed a finger beneath his right glove and peeked at the numbers underneath. His eyes widened in horror.

10

The chain links of her sword whipped out from within the cover of smoke and wrapped around his body before he had a chance to react. One pull of her sword and he would be cut in half. Byleth’s emerald eyes met his as she emerged from the grey clouds covered in ash. Her face scrunched together with a pained expression that tore his heart in two. 

“I hoped that I would never have to see you again.” She said to him and squeezed the handle of her sword tightly. “I cannot kill you.”

“It is because you are weak.” Hubert spat out with a bitter tone. Byleth was not one to be challenged and her sword squeezed his ribcage so hard that he dropped to his knees and coughed out blood. 

“Just finish me already!!” Hubert screamed at her. 

He instantly regretted his words. Byleth’s eyes were watery and she was biting her lower lip. The grip on her sword was shaking ever so slightly. He could see the faint outline of the number 5 on her left hand. So, she did know. Hubert clenched his teeth. He would have to apologize to Edelgard his actions later. Byleth swiftly yanked her sword and Hubert warped off the battlefield. 

Hubert landed outside the battlefield on his knees. His hands caught his fall and blood was dripping down his chin. He was gasping for air after his soulmate had nearly killed him. He was a fool, to think that their interaction could have gone any other way after he had insulted her. Hubert slammed his fist on the ground. Why did cruel fate allow him to have a soulmate if she was going to be his most loathsome enemy? 

His fingers dug into the dirt and his hands shook. No matter how hard he tried he could not find the will within himself to hate her. Dimitri and Byleth eliminated hundreds of Imperial Soldiers mercilessly on the battlefield. Yet she allowed him to live and fight another day. Hubert had never felt so torn in his entire life. 

\--

Lady Edelgard was forced to retreat from Gronder Field after being cornered by Dimitri who seemed all too eager to kill her. The imperial army surrounded Dimitri so that Edelgard was able to escape. She was slightly wounded from the battle but was able to retreat to the encampment. The mission was a success and they were able to stop the Alliance and the Kingdom from proceeding further into Adrestia. 

Edelgard described Dimitri as a monster. The former prince that she had once known at the academy was long gone and he was now a shell of his former self, hellbent on revenge for a crime that she did not commit. Hubert scoffed. To think that his soulmate would continue to follow such a creature and lead his army. She would have been better off with the Empire. 

Hubert and the remaining Imperial forces used the next month to recover. In that time, they had received word that Dimitri had reclaimed the Silver Maiden and taken back the Kingdom that was meant to be Lady Edelgard’s. The troops described him as having become a different man. A more commanding and trustworthy King rather than the murderous monster that he had had shown to be when he tried to obliterate Lady Edelgard on the battlefield. 

The next month, another report about Dimitri came in. While the imperial soldiers were gathering their forces to strengthen the Empire, Dimitri and the Blue Lions had successfully gotten the Leicester Alliance to join forces with them, doubling the number of troops at the Kingdom’s command. Hubert assumed that his soulmate played a large part in their success having previously recruited the Golden Deer students to her side during their academy days. The Kingdom was now a serious threat that needed to be eliminated. 

-

Hubert was standing next to Edelgard’s side when an imperial soldier burst into their war planning meeting. “Your Majesty! The Kingdom has taken over Fort Merceus!” 

Hubert slammed his hands on the war room table, “What do you mean taken over? We had the Death Knight stationed there.”

The Imperial soldier cowered in fear. “Their forces are headed towards Enbarr was we speak. King Dimitri requests your presence, Your Majesty.”

Edelgard’s eye twitched. “He’s asking me to meet with him before battle? How utterly noble of him.”

Edelgard placed a hand on Hubert’s shoulder. “I know this sounds difficult, but will you please accompany me?”

Hubert subconsciously covered his hand with the other. He did not have to check the numbers to know that his soulmate would be there. Hubert swallowed his pride. He would not let his Majesty go alone. He nodded his head and pulsed dark magic through their bodies. He and Edelgard warped outside of the Imperial capital’s walls. They landed on the outskirts of the city, a desolate patch of land with few trees. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was blaring at them. It had taken a large chunk of his magic to warp them, but time was of the essence if the Kingdom’s army was at their doorstep.  
Hubert pulled his white glove off with his teeth and let it fall to the ground. Dimitri and Byleth were facing each other a foot apart in conversation. Hubert’s heart was racing with anticipation as each step brought him closer to his soulmate.

5, 4, 3, 2…

“Well, well, it’s been a long time since we were all face to face like this.” Edelgard broke the silence. 

Dimitri turned around stunned. “Edelgard. I did not think you would accept my request. How did you know where to find us?”

Hubert raised his ungloved fist showing Dimitri the back of his hand and smirked. It had a single black line with the number 1. 

Dimitri’s was taken aback and looked at him with wide eyes. “I don’t understand.”

Byleth slowly lifted her left hand and unclipped the steel armor at her wrist. It clattered to the floor revealing a black line etched onto her hand with a matching number 1.

“I’m so sorry Dimitri, I should have told you earlier.” She said looking at him with a pained expression.

Dimitri grit his teeth. “Is that why you never told me who your soulmate was? Is that why the Empire always knew about our location?” 

“No, it’s not like that.” Byleth frowned. “I haven’t done anything to betray you. I swore to you that I would always remain by your side and yours alone. He means nothing to me.”

Hubert’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces. It was clear as day how she felt about Dimitri, as if he did not know that already. Dimitri was everything to her. He was her sun, her moon, and her reason for living. And Hubert was just a black number forever etched onto her hand like a curse that neither had asked to be given. 

“Your Majesty, may I speak to the Professor alone for a moment?” the words tumbled out of Hubert’s mouth before he could stop himself. 

Dimitri let out a low growl. He turned his face away from Byleth who’s face was full of regret. Byleth closed her eyes in defeat. She tiled her head and motioned for Hubert to follow her. Edelgard watched them leave and then immediately turned to Dimitri. Hubert could barely hear the conversation.

“What did you want to talk about?” Edelgard and Byleth asked at the same time with different tones of voice.

Hubert and Byleth stood behind a tree away from earshot of their trusted commanders. The sun above was burning his black coat despite the shade that the tree provided. Hubert’s arms were crossed, and he leaned against the bark. He was only wearing one glove, having dropped the other. The black number 1 was as prominent as ever. 

“How long have you known?” Hubert asked. 

Byleth took a step back. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“How long have you known that we were soulmates?” Hubert angrily repeated. 

“Since the day that I became a professor at the monastery.” Byleth confessed. She looked down at her hand and sighed, “I suppose now you’re wondering why I chose to instruct the Blue Lions instead of the Black Eagles. It was an easy decision. I saw the way you looked at Edelgard. You worshiped the very ground she walked on. There would be no point in coming in between you two, so I chose to go with Dimitri.”

Hubert clenched his teeth. Her words felt like a dagger to the chest. “I care for Her Majesty, but I am not in love with her in the way that you seem to believe, unlike you and that foolish man who calls himself King.”

“Don’t you dare talk about Dimitri like that.” Byleth frowned. “He may have lost everything, but he never gave up. He is an honorable man unlike someone that I know who stalked me at the Goddess Tower five years ago and didn’t say anything.”

Hubert’s face reddened. “How could I? He was so enamored with you, it was sickening. You could have told him the truth about your soulmate, but telling by his expression today, you obviously chose to keep it a secret.”

“Don’t pin this on me. You hardly spoke to me the entire time that we were at the monastery.” Byleth accused. “Instead, you and Edelgard went rogue and attacked the church before I ever got to confront you!” 

Hubert clenched his fists. “If you hate me so much, then you should have just killed me at Gronder Field two months ago. You have had ample opportunity to end my life and put me out of my misery!”

“You know exactly why I cannot kill you!” Byleth cried out. Tears began to weld in her eyes. “Do you think I asked for my soulmate to be my mortal enemy?”

“Do you know how hard it is to fall into an unrequited love with your soulmate who already has their heart set on another?” Hubert shot back with anger raging in his heart. 

He saw tears roll down her cheeks. Her tone of voice changed to hurt, “It wasn’t supposed to be this way.” 

Hubert’s heart felt as though it would explode as he watched the tears flow freely down her face. His body acted on impulse as he took a step forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Byleth. He cradled her head against his warm chest and held her tightly in his arms. His felt his cheeks begin to redden. It felt so right to hold her small form that fit so perfectly in his embrace. Yet every part of him was screaming how wrong it was to be consoling his enemy. He felt whole as he made finally made physical contact with his other half who continually met him on opposing sides of the battlefield. In his soul, he knew that they were meant to be together.

Hubert held her until she calmed her breathing and stopped crying. He loosened his grip on her body. Byleth lifted her face. Her tear stained cheeks were a light shade of pink. Hubert looked deeply into her emerald eyes, with his left arm around her waist and his right arm on her back. 

“I can assure you that the kingdom will not win this war and Lady Edelgard shall lead as the supreme ruler of Fodlan.” Hubert said with confidence. Her face formed a small frown and he considered his next words carefully. 

“Professor… leave Dimitri and join me.” He uttered. “Please.” 

“Don’t do this to me.” She answered with watery eyes. “You and Edelgard are on a path I can’t follow.”

Hubert released his hold on her at once as though she had hit him. Of course, she would still be loyal to the kingdom. Why did he even bother trying? He felt empty and disappointed with her response.

He turned his head away. “Then the next time we meet on the battlefield, it shall be as enemies. This time, I ask that you not spare my life, because I will not be granting you the same mercy that you have shown me.” 

Hubert began to walk towards His Majesty when he felt her grab his ungloved hand. Hubert’s heart skipped a beat and he flinched but did not resist and allowed her to take hold of his hand. Her fingers laced with his and she remained silent. Her eyebrows were scrunched together, and she looked as hurt as he was. Perhaps deep down, she did care about him. 

They walked together towards Dimitri and Edlegard hand in hand with the number 1 matching on their skin. They stayed quiet the entire time, knowing that once they let go, it would mean whatever temporary fantasy they were living in would be over. Fate had said they were meant to be together. Had they acted under different circumstances, they might have been a couple and lived a happy life together. Hubert gently smoothed his thumb over her skin and etched the scars on her hand into his memory. Her hand was warm, and he wondered if they had always been this way. The two walked closer to their arguing commanders and wordlessly pulled apart, retaining skin contact until the very last moment. Hubert walked to Edelgard’s left and Byleth moved to Dimitri’s right. 

“We’re done here. I will await your arrival in Enbarr.” Edelgard said to Dimitri. She turned around and walked towards the direction of the city.

Hubert took one last look at Byleth catching her sorrowful emerald eyes and he turned around to follow Edelgard. They warped back to the Capital’s war room and began planning for the Kingdom’s army to attack them.

\-- 

The Kingdom’s army attacked the Imperial Capital, Enbarr, the very next day. The Kingdom was waiving a large blue banner with a lion on it. The Imperial troops had only a short amount of time to prepare. Hubert stood at the command post nearest to the palace. He was Lady Edelgard’s last line of defense. He had dedicated his very existence to her and would protect His Majesty at all costs… even if that meant that he would have to eliminate his soulmate.

The Kingdom easily broke through the first line of the city’s defense. At the front of the attack were the former Black Eagles Students who would be able to navigate through the city. They were closely followed by Dimitri and Byleth who charged forward and attacked all those who opposed them.

Hubert barked commands to his imperial troops from afar. They must not get to the palace. He would not let the enemy lay a hand on Lady Edelgard. Hubert’s hand’s glowed dark purple. He gathered up as much miasma that he could and saw the shade of blue from the kingdom’s frontline soldiers advancing quickly. Hubert fired a series of dark spikes at the enemy. He could see his former allies in the distance working on defeating a demonic beast that was fighting for the imperials. He could not see Dimitri on the battlefield, and it concerned him. He pulled off his glove to check where his soulmate could be. 

45 steps away, but where?

His heart stopped when he saw the familiar flash of mint green hair sprinting in his direction with a glowing red sword. Hubert launched dark magic attacks at her from a distance, but she was agile on her feet. She dodged every one of his attacks with ease and it appeared as if he was purposely missing his shots. It brought him back to the first time that they had fought at the battle of the eagle and lion years ago. His hand was dropping numbers rapidly, from 30 to 10.

And then 1. 

They stood a mere foot away from each other. Byleth was panting from her sprint and her emerald eyes met his. Hubert was at a major disadvantage. If he tried to attack her with dark magic, he would end up killing them both. Under normal circumstances, he would retreat, but that would mean leaving Lady Edelgard at the mercy of Dimitri. Hubert lowered his hands and dispelled his dark magic. He had a dagger hidden within his sleeve at the ready. Byleth held the Sword of the Creator firmly in her grasp pointing beneath his chin. She would only need a second to swing her blade and end his life. 

“This is it.” Byleth said. 

“I’m afraid so.” Hubert replied.

Hubert could hear the screams of the Imperial soldiers as the Kingdom Army cut them down. The streets of Enbarr were burning crimson flames and he could smell the distinct scent of smoke lingering in the air. His heart was racing from the intensity of battle. He was not afraid to die. He worried what would happen if the imperial soldiers could not stop the kingdom army should he perish in battle. Lady Edelgard would never surrender… and neither would he.

Byleth lowered her weapon. “I wish things were different,” she whispered. 

“I know.” Hubert said.

Their eyes met. They became entranced in each other’s gaze, and their eyelids felt heavy. Their faces slowly gravitated towards each other. Their heads tilted to the side and they were a breath away. Their lips lingered for a moment before lightly pressing together in a tender kiss. 

Hubert’s world erupted into colors and images beyond his wildest imagination. He saw a life where Byleth had chosen to lead the Black Eagles. He saw her meeting him at the Goddess Tower on the night of the ball instead of Dimitri. She had a blush painted on her cheeks and he saw the magical moment when they discovered they were soulmates based on the black markings of their hands. He saw them embrace and accept each other. He saw her hair change colors as she took on the power of the goddess. He saw years pass without her before she miraculously reappeared into his life. He saw them defeat Claude in the aquatic city. He saw Dimitri perish at her hands outside the kingdom capital. He saw himself standing next to her as Lady Edelgard sat on the throne as the supreme rule of Fodlan. He saw himself asking for her hand in marriage and the end of the war. He saw their wedding in the imperial capital. He saw her holding the tiny hand of a child with messy black hair. He saw himself growing old with her after raising their children, and he saw the smile on their faces as they held hands with matching markings through it all. 

A second lasted an entire lifetime. Hubert felt a sharp pain in his chest and a lone tear rolled down his cheek. His eyelids fluttered open and he looked into his soulmate’s beautiful watery emerald eyes one last time. Hubert tasted salt and a familiar hint of iron on his tongue. He dropped the steel dagger in his fist that he had planned on using and it clattered to the stone floor. His vision blurred and his body was trembling. Hubert raised his shaking right hand and could see the foggy outline of a black number 0 begin to fade. It was the first and last time he ever saw that number and a smile crossed his lips.

“Thank you.” He whispered. 

His body slumped forward, and his soulmate caught him before he ever hit the ground.

**Author's Note:**

> I just love a tragic endings T-T


End file.
